Zis is the
Messapic continuation of *Di̯ḗu̯s, the name of the
Proto-Indo-European daylight-sky-god.[5] Cognates stemming from the noun *Di̯ḗu̯s with a similar phonological development are the
AlbanianZojz and
GreekZeus. In the Messapic Zis, Albanian Zoj-z, and Greek Ζεύς, the original cluster *di̯ of *di̯ḗu̯s underwent affrication to *dz.[6] The
Tarentine god Dís (Δίς) has probably been borrowed from their neighbouring Messapians.[7]
Epithets and role
Zis Batas
The cult of Zis Batas is the earliest and the more lasting one among the Messapians, attested from the archaic period to Roman Imperial times (from 8th to 2nd-1st centuries BCE).[8] It appears in the earliest attested Messapic inscriptions, from votive dediction in the Grotta Porcinara in
Leuca.[9] This maritime cave was a Messapic sanctuary sacred to this deity, including an ash
altar and miniaturistic sacrificial vases, and was located in a trade center along the routes connecting East and West, also frequented by Greeks. This indigenous Messapic deity was adopted by Greeks as Zeus Batios and by Romans as Iupiter Batius or Juppiter Optimus Maximus Batius, which provide evidence for the continuity of this cult down to the Imperial period.[10][8][11][1]
Zis Batas has been interpreted as "Zis the Thunderer", a Messapian lightning and weather god, regarded as the ruler of atmospheric events including storms, and therefore protector of navigation. Hence it is reasonable to suppose that this deity was regarded by the sailors as a divine entity worshiped in order to assure good weather, salvation in sea and good navigation.[12][note 1] Other than protector of navigation, Zis Batas could have been linked to aspects of fertility and prosperity, as indicated by the archaeological remainings of sacrificed goats offered to this deity, placed inside the miniaturistic vases and near the large ash altar in the Grotta Porcinara, dating from the 8th century BCE.[15][8]
A bronze statue from
Ugento is most likely the representation of the Messapic Zis Batas in the position of throwing a thunderbolt. It dates to ca. 530 BCE and was proably realized by a
Tarentine artist.[1]
Zis Menzanas
The Messapic sky god was also worshiped as Zis Menzanas.[16] The root in menzanas is a cognate of the Albanian mëz or mâz '
foal', from *me(n)za- '
horse', which underwent a later semantic shift 'horse' > 'foal' after the loan from
Latincaballus into Albanian kalë 'horse'. Hence *me(n)zana- has been interpreted as a
Palaeo-Balkan word for 'horseman'. Further relevant evidence can be seen in Iuppiter Menzanas, mentioned in a passage written by
Festus in relation to a Messapian horse sacrifice, and in ΜΕΖΗΝΑ̣Ι from a
Thracian inscription on the
Duvanli gold ring also bearing the image of a horseman.[17]
Sky-Earth pair
The cult of Zis Batas is regarded as the male counterpart of the chthonic cults linked to
Demeter (Messapic: Damatura) and
Kore.[18] The origin of the Messapic goddess Damatura is debated: scholars like
Vladimir I. Georgiev (1937),
Eqrem Çabej,
Shaban Demiraj (1997), or
Martin L. West (2007) have argued that she was an Illyrian goddess (from PIE *dʰǵʰem-māter, "earth mother", containing the Messapic root dā- "earth", c.f. Albanian: Dheu, "earth", used in Old Albanian for "
Earth Mother"), eventually borrowed into Greek as
Demeter,[19][20] while others like
Paul Kretschmer (1939),
Robert S. P. Beekes (2009) and
Carlo De Simone (2017) have argued for the Messapic borrowing from Greek Demeter.[21][7] According to
Martin L. West, "the formal parallelism between the names of the Illyrian Deipaturos and the Messapic Damatura ["earth-mother"] may favour their having been a pair, but evidence of the liaison is lacking."[22]
Zeus Messapeus
The cult of Zeus Messapeus is documented in
Spartan territory in
Ancient Greece. Two ancient literary traditions attest Messapeus as a title of Zeus.
Pausanias (2nd century CE) mentions a temenos of Zeus Messapeus on the west side of the Spartan plain.
Stephanus of Byzantium (5th century CE) cites
Theopompus (4th century BCE) providing evidence for the location of a sanctuary of Zeus Messapeus southwest of Sparta. Also an inscription on a vase found in
Laconia dating back to c. 590-570 BCE attests the title Mesapeus, and another 2nd century fragmentary stamped tile from
Anthochori appears to refer to Messapian Zeus.[23]
The Spartans possibly adopted the cult of Messapian Zeus from the Spartan colony of
Taras in Apulia where cultural exchanges between Messapians and Tarentines occurred. Indeed the Messapian god Zis was the most popular deity in the region.[24]
References
Notes
^Early evidence of celestial cult in
Illyria, on the other side of the Adriatic, is provided by 6th century BCE plaques from
Lake Shkodra, which belonged to the
Illyrian tribal area of what was referred in historical sources to as the
Labeatae in later times. Each of those plaques portray simultaneously sacred representations of the sky and the sun, and symbolism of lighning and fire, as well as the
sacred tree and birds (eagles). In those plaques there is a mythological representation of the deity, who throws lightning into a fire altar, which is held by two men (sometimes on two boats). This mythological representation is identical to the
Albanian folk belief and practice associated to the lightning deity. A traditional Albanian practice during thunderstorms was to bring outdoors a fireplace (Albanian: vatër), in order to gain the favor of the deity so the thunders would not be harmful to the human community.[13] Albanian folk beliefs regard the lightning as the "
fire of the
sky" (zjarri i qiellit) and consider it as the "
weapon of the deity" (arma/pushka e zotit/perëndisë). Indeed an Albanian word to refer to the lightning is rrufeja, related to the
Thracianrhomphaia, an ancient
polearm.[14]
^Pagliara, Cosimo (1990).
"GROTTA PORCINARA". Bibliografia Topografica della Colonizzazione Greca in Italia e Nelle Isole Tirreniche (in Italian) (8). Siti: Gargara - Lentini: 187–188.
Bottini, Angelo (2017). "Archéologie et religiosité des peuples italiques sur les territoires situés entre les mers Adriatique, Ionienne et Tyrrhénienne". Perspective actualité en histoire de l'art (1). INHA – Institut national d'histoire de l'art: 65–90.
ISSN1777-7852.
Catling, R. W. V.; Shipley, D. G. J. (1989). "Messapian Zeus: An Early Sixth-Century Inscribed Cup from Lakonia". The Annual of the British School at Athens. 84: 187–200.
JSTOR30104552.
Lamboley, Jean-Luc (2019) [2000]. "Les cultes de l'Adriatique méridionale à l'époque républicaine". In Delplace, Christiane; Tassaux, Francis (eds.). Les cultes polythéistes dans l'Adriatique romaine (in French). Ausonius Éditions. pp. 133–141.
doi:10.4000/books.ausonius.6762.
ISBN9782356132604.
Mannino, Katia (2009). "Uso funzionale della ceramica attica a Vaste: dal culto degli antenati ai riti funerari". In Simona Fortunelli, Concetta Masseria (ed.). Ceramica attica da santuari della Grecia, della Ionia e dell'Italia: atti convegno internazionale, Perugia 14-17 marzo 2007. Osanna. pp. 439–454.
ISBN9788881672622.
Catling, H. W. (1990). "A Sanctuary of Zeus Messapeus: Excavations at Aphyssou, Tsakona, 1989". The Annual of the British School at Athens. 85: 15–35.
JSTOR30102837.